ON THE NORTH-WESTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 839 



told that the gyl'serstdl is not nsed by the Le'kwiltok'. It is certainly not 

 known to the Coast Salish. 



Among the Tlatlasikoalaand Awiky'e'nok- the gens of the young man 

 go out to meet his bride. They connect four boats by long boards and per- 

 form a dance on this platform. The dance is called la'tiati by 

 the Tlatlasik'oala. Among the Awiky'e'nok another dance is per- 

 formed, in which a woman has the chief part. She carries a 

 carved piece of wood about a foot and a half long, of the shape 

 shown by the figure, and set with haliotis shells. Besides her, 

 four masked dancers take part in the dance. They are called 

 Winoquo'lak", Yaiaua'lak'ame, Aiqumii'lakila, and Yaiawino'akila. 

 Unfortunately I was unable to understand the meaning of their 

 dance. 



The dead are put into boxes and buried either in a separate burial 

 ground or deposited in the higher branches of trees. The tribes living at 

 the northern end of Vancouver Island have separate burial grounds for 

 chiefs and for common or middle-class people. The box containing the 

 body is placed in a small house similar to those of the Tlingit and Haida. 

 The house is covered with blankets, and strips of blanket are fastened to 

 poles erected near the grave or to lines drawn from one tree to the other. 

 Memorial columns, showing the crest of the tribe, are erected near the 

 graves. Large spoons are placed alongside the houses, and are filled with 

 food when the body is buried. At the same time food is burnt on the 

 beach. If the body is hung up in a tree, the lower branches are carefully 

 removed to make it inaccessible. Sometimes chiefs are buried in canoes. 

 The Koskimo frequently bury their dead in a cave. The graveyards 

 are generally situated on small islands or grounds near the village, and 

 are one of the most remarkable sights on the coast, on account of the 

 great display of colours and carvings. 



The regulations referring to the mourning period are very severe. 

 In case of the death of husband or wife, the survivor has to observe the 

 following rules: For four days after the death the survivor must sit 

 motionless, the knees drawn up toward the chin. On the third day all 

 the inhabitants of the village, including children, must take a bath. On 

 the fourth day some water is heated in a wooden kettle, and the widow 

 or widower drips it upon his head. When he becomes tired of sitting 

 motionless, and must move, he thinks of his enemy, stretches his legs 

 slowly four times, and draws them up again. Then his enemy must die. 

 During the following sixteen days he must remain on the same spot, but 

 he may stretch out his legs. He is not allowed, however, to move his 

 hands. Nobody must speak to him, and whosoever disobeys this command 

 will be punished by the death of one of his relatives. Every fourth day 

 he takes a bath. He is fed twice a day by an old woman at the time of 

 low water, with salmon caught in the preceding year, and given to him 

 in the dishes and spoons of the deceased. While sitting so his mind is 

 wandering to and fro. He sees his house and his friends as though far, 

 far away. If in his visions he sees a man near by, the latter is sure to 

 die at no distant day ; if he sees him very far away, he will continue to 

 live long. After the sixteen days have passed, he may lie down, but not 

 stretch out. He takes a bath every eighth day. At the end of the first 

 month he takes off his clothing, and dresses the stump of a tree with it. 

 After another month has passed he may sit in a comer of the house, but 

 for four months ho must not mingle with others. He must not use the 



